JOYCE RUDOLPH
Peter Noone considers himself just another boy next door.
His group, Herman's Hermits, has remained popular since it began
in the 1960s because of the squeaky-clean tunes they sing that are
romantic and fun. Today, as the band tours the U.S. and abroad, songs
like, "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter," "I'm Henry the VIII
I Am" and "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" are familiar
to fans ranging from 6 to 60.
"We did a show last night at a county fair. The crowd was great.
All families. Perfect for Herman's Hermits," he said. "There were
people who were young in the 1960s and young people who wish they had
been born in the '60s."
The group will perform all their classic songs Sunday at the
Starlight Bowl in Burbank.
Back in the old days, Noone said, the music business was his only
focus.
"My life was the band," he said by cellphone while driving through
the mountains of Pennsylvania.
After 10 years, the band split up because Noone wanted to pursue
other interests. He had a TV series in England and performed in
musical productions in London and on Broadway. During the 1980s, he
starred on Broadway in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production
of "The Pirates of Penzance."
And Noone had a life. He got married and had a daughter and
spending time with family became a priority.
But from time to time, he'd get the band back together.
"The name got run down like an old motel," he said. "It needed to
be brought back to the front again. So, I took it on as a pet project
and it turned back into a full-time job again."
The band has kept its wholesome reputation, staying away from
drugs and other things some bands do to make them look cool, he said.
"Herman's Hermits are nice people, but boring in the music
business. All our songs are written about girls like our sisters,"
Noone said.
That wholesomeness was instilled in him by British parents who had
a strong work ethic.
"We learned to take care of ourselves, became smart and
independent," he said.
Most of their songs are tongue-in-cheek and don't make people
uncomfortable.
"We don't have that preposterous sexual thing going on and young
people feel comfortable with that. Half of the people in the fan club
are under 30. They get it, that it's kind of a fun thing."
And the songs are also romantic.
"Romance always is a great thing for any age," he said. "Falling
in love and living happily ever after -- there's still a place for
that in the world."
Married 36 years, Noone said the secret to staying together is
